Dear Book Reviewer

This may seem a weird blog post but I've decided, as an author who is constantly directly messaged and emailed on a regular basis on this subject, that I would share my thoughts to new writers/authors out there. Just in case you're not really sure on this subject. 

As a writer/author we do not pay for book reviews. 

It's bad enough we don't get paid that much in royalties really - the average author doesn't earn enough to live off. Unless we're selling books in the hundreds of thousands... we don't earn a lot for a year's work (or longer). 

If a "book reviewer" messages you about reviewing your book, you say, "Thank you very much, I would love you to review my book. Here are the places you can buy it. It's only 99p on Amazon!" (Or words to that effect.)

My understanding is that these people just want free books. And then want to be paid to give an "honest" review. But how honest is it if you've given them the book for free and paid them to write a review? 

And quite frankly, if I've given them my book and PAID for a review, it better be FIVE STARS! 

And you have to think, am I going to earn that fee back in royalties? Probably not. 

If a book reviewer wants free books, this is what NetGalley is for - and I have my gripes about NetGalley too, but I won't go into that here. 

I'm really sorry, dear book reviewer, but genuine book reviewers are readers. 

taken from The Family Upstairs by Lisa Jewell

If you read a book and you enjoy it, you leave a review. Some like to rip it to shreds too. Us authors would prefer they kept those comments to themselves, as we are human and usually blood, sweat and tears has gone into writing our books. 

And if it's traditionally published, therefore gone through editors and a publisher feels it's good enough to invest in, then I believe there is no such thing as a bad book. It just wasn't a book for you. (I agree with Phin in The Family Upstairs.) 

I know for some writers, me included, this may mean that reviews can be few and far between. But dear author, please do not pay for reviews!

Two Books In Prime Reads

I am majorly excited. Meet Me At Wisteria Cottage AND One Fine Day are in Prime Reads and they're doing fantastic in the UK Amazon charts!

Meet Me At Wisteria Cottage was (at the time of posting this blog post) in the top 10 for contemporary fiction and top 20 for women's fiction! That is huge!

Check them out if you don't believe me!

 
http://amzn.to/2kUTi1b

What will Meet Me At Wisteria Cottage hitting over 10,000 sales in eBook... I'm looking forward to see the impact this is also having.

Today has been a good day, because I have also managed to write a 1000 words towards my next novel. I am toying with the idea of writing a sequel to One Fine Day :) 

http://amzn.to/1p1xhdC

Sunsets and Happy Ever Afters

Exciting news alert! I can now confirm that Sunsets and Happy Ever Afters, the third book in my Kittiwake Cove series, is available to pre-order and will be out Friday 8th July! 

I am also have a publication day party! The invitation is here over on Facebook! All friends welcome! 

We will be having drinks and nibbles from 7pm until the sun sets! (So fingers crossed for sunshine.) 

Here's the blurb to Sunsets and Happy Ever Afters: 

Will Maya ever find the right man for her…?

Having recently gone through a painful divorce, Maya Rosevear has been concentrating on running her mobile beauty business and raising her two young children. Now ready to meet someone new, she decides to give online dating a try.

As she juggles her responsibilities with her love-life, Maya keeps crossing paths with Sam Trescott, the father of her daughter’s best friend. Despite initially getting off on the wrong foot, the two bond over their children and form a tentative friendship.

As a widower, Sam understands what it is like to be lonely. Watching Maya launch herself back into the dating world, he questions whether he is also ready to pursue a new relationship.

Seemingly unable to meet the right man, Maya takes solace in Sam’s companionship more and more. And as they grow closer, both begin to wonder whether they have finally found what they’re looking for…

Can Maya and Sam help each other heal? Will they have a second chance at love?

Or will their painful pasts come back to haunt them…?

PRE-ORDER NOW!

Happy Birthday, Kieran!

January 2022

And so Kieran turns 15. And today marks 2 years of going into full lockdown. 

Today has been spent not in school because 2 years on, Covid still affects our lives. He's had to stay home for two days of home-schooling due to a shortage of teachers. At least he did manage to go into school last year, even though we were still in a lockdown. 

He hasn't minded it today. He has done some school work but the sun has been shining so he's been out with his friends playing football. 

A couple of years ago with Rio!

Although a bit grumpy at times - that's the teenager in him - Kieran is my most organised child, and much much tidier than his brother. He's also quite thoughtful, buying gifts for either me or his dad when he goes away on holiday and things like that. 

He also forgets himself sometimes, and has a cuddle, to soon realise he's (now) 15 and shouldn't be cuddling his mum - ha ha! But I do love our sofa time. (Currently watching Superstore which we're finding hilarious.) 

Love my boys. So much. 

We have pizza for tea planned, plus his favourite cake; cinnamon Nutella cake. 

The birthday cake! 

My Book and Wine Club - update!

 

I held my first book club with See No Bounds last Thursday and it was such great fun. 

I wanted to keep it quite flexible and just be a discussion on what books we were reading, whether they be self-development, business development, general non-fiction or fiction.

As a writer, I've always struggled to read the set book for a book club, so I wanted this to be a relaxed discussion about books generally. And it worked! An hour wasn't long enough. 

Also an interesting thing came out of the discussion. And it relates to the passage that is in The Family Upstairs by Lisa Jewell. (Great book by the way!)

Phin is basically saying there's no such thing as bad books; that if you didn't like a book, it's not that it's bad, but that book weren't for you. 

I wholeheartedly agree with him! (And wonder if this be the point of view of Lisa Jewell too!)

And this topic was highlighted perfectly in my book club. Where I love Harry Potter and Lord of The Rings, a couple of the book club members don't. And it's not that they are bad books, it just proves that they are not to everyone's taste. 

I will be hosting another book club. I just haven't set a date yet, but it's likely to be mid-April some time. (It's going to be tricky with Easter in the way.) You'll be able to register via the See No Bounds website. The event is free and online so it doesn't matter where you are. We'll probably stick to a Thursday (although I'm toying with the idea of it being a Friday) but with the amended time of 7.30pm. 

So watch this space!